Pentecost 5

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: Pentecost 5
PROPER: 9C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: July 5,1998

TEXT: Luke 10:1-12-16-20 - "The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. . . . . . . and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'"

ISSUE: Luke presents an urgent and very intentional mission for the early church. It is recognized that they are like sheep in the midst of wolves. The scene is similar and closely related to the Moses and the Jews wandering in the wilderness, a people in exile, but who are close to the Promised Land. The church today is in a similar situation, even in the U.S. of A. We are called to an intense mission in an otherwise very secular and a culture seemingly distanced from God.
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As much as we might like to escape it, we cannot. The Scriptures constantly call the church, the people of God, to an urgent, focused, and intentional mission. To avoid that calling is to stand outside of the Christian movement. The passage from Luke is certainly another clear example of the early chruch's call to intention and urgent mission.
Let me give some background. Earlier in Luke 9, Jesus sends his twelve disciples out on missionary journey to heal the sick and preach the Goodnews. In this later Luke 10, Jesus sends out, not merely the 12 disciples, but a crowd of some seventy, (some manuscripts say 72, but the meaning is the same.) The number of seventy (70-72) has obvious symbolic meaning to the people first hearing this passage, which also gives deeper understanding of the passage. Here are some considerations of the meaning of 70 sent missionaries:
1. Seventy was a standard number for groups: There were 70 descendants of Jacob, and 70 descendants of King Ahab.
2. Seventy was the number of men selected by Moses, when the Israelites were wonder in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. They were selected leaders assigned by Moses, at God's command to be leaders and to assist Moses with settling divisions and disputes among a complaining and rebellious people. (Numbers 11:16-30)
3. There were seventy members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, that is, the council members at the Temple in Jerusalem, which was derived from the 70 selected elders of Moses' time.
3. There were supposedly 70 translators who translated the O.T. into Greek, and called it the Septuagint, LXX.
4. It was believed that there were some 70 Gentile Nations at the time, and thus, the sending of the 70 missionaries into various towns and villages was symbolic of the new church's mission to the Gentile world.
The overall sending of 70 missionaries was to indicative of Jesus sending Ambassadors to the Lord to the nations of the world. Ambassadors, in this period, had all the authority of a king or leaders. Thus, the seventy who are sent to the villages are to hve all of the authority of Jesus himself, bringing healing, the demise of the power of evil spirits, and the Goodnews and assurance that the Kingdom of God is near. Notewell, that the message is not if you are good someday you will go to heaven. The message is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. It comes as a gift to those of faith and trust. God's Kingdom is in the midst of his people and they are not abandoned.
Another important aspect of the passage is that the disciples, or missionaries, are themselves being sent as sheep among wolves. What's more they have the authority to tread upon snakes and scorpions, and have power over the enemy, Again as ambassadors they are empowered. But, there is also here a reference to what it was like as the Israelites wondered in the desert in Moses' time. It was a dangerous time. What's more travel in Jesus' time was extraordinarily dangerous. Travelers were always at the mercy of bandits. There was no sugar-coating of the work they were assigned. Going without purse and excess baggage made them less vulnerable. they were not to waste time on the roads, but their mission was to be focused and intentional. They were to settle in one community and receive what they needed from that community. They were not to move around, and were not to quibble over dietary rules and regulations.
They were to accept hospitality, whatever it was. If they were not received or afforded hospitality, they were to go to the village square and brush the dust off of their feet, which was major insult to that community for lack of hospitality. In this period, hospitality was an expectation among Jews. Not to provide hospitality to travelers and to provide sustenance and sanctuary from the elements and bandits was about inhuman in this culture. It was just expected. However the missionaries in hostile territories might encounter this kind of hostility. Then, they were to move on, shake the dust off, and find more fertile ground. The act of shaking the dust off one's feet came from the fact that when Jews traveled into foreign territory, which was considered unclean, or impure, when returning home and crossing the border into Jewish territory, they would shake the dust of foreign soil from their feet.
Notice too, that the seventy disciples of Jesus are never sent out alone. They are sent in pairs, two by two, for protective messages and also for a sense of comraderie, that they were not along, and maintained a sense of community. It is interesting, if not startling to our individualistic society, that rarely are the disciples ever alone. Disciples and Apostles are often mention in pairs: James and John, Peter and Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew. Even St. Paul travels in his journeys with Peter, Timothy, Bartholomew, Mark. In discipleship, mission, there is always community in the early church.
The net result of the crowd of 70 going to the towns and villages is that they return to Jesus astonished at their accomplishments. (There are other times when the results of the 12 disciples are not as successful. (Matt.17:14-21) Here Jesus concern is not with their success, but that they have been faithful in what they were sent to do. It is not that the evil spirits have been exorcised, but that their names are written in God's book. To name something is to claim it in the Scriptures. It is only important that the disciples be claimed as God's own, the successes and failures are not the issue, merely their faithful response to God's call.
This passage is an important one for the people of the church today and for the world and country we live in today. We are no longer the Christian nation we once thought we were, or claimed to be. "In God we trust." may be a noble motto, but it is hardly claimed by an overwhelming majority. Mostly we trust in keeping the stores open, even on holidays and Holy Days, for the economy is by in large in what many people trust. There is a great need for god's people to infiltrate the world community with the Spirit of God, to let them know and/or feel that the Kingdom of God has come near. We, as Christians, are exiles in a secular and violent world. We are sheep in the midst of wolves. Yet in our embracing and trust of Jesus as Lord, we embrace the love, the forgiveness, the peace, and the healing power of God. We are the healing ambassadors. Sometimes we are received and welcomed in the various circles that we travel, and we can impart that divine Spirit of Love and show our sacrifical concern for those who are alone, or troubled, or hurting. It is important that we remain fixed and faithful in our calling where we are planted. In what may appear useless or hopeless situations, you move on to other territory. But do keep in mind and don't - please don't - under estimate your potential to be God's people in the world, among the sick and dying, the lonely in nursing homes. To be in union, prayerfully, and knowledgeable of scripture, and in a partnership with Jeus Christ is to impart a profound presence in the places you frequent. Don't under estimate that potential and the possibility of bringing quiet healing and hope. We can participate in the healing of prejudices and hatreds. We can participate in caring for the lost and lonely, in being people who seek to understand and to offer compassion.
As God's people, as people of faith and trust, we do bring tremendous hope to the world. In Deuteronmy 8:15, it is told that the Israel wandered in harsh and hostile wilderness. It was a wilderness of scorpions and snakes, dry and parched. Yet the faith made it though by the grace and help of God to reach the Promised Land, a land they believed to be the Kingdom of God. Is it not true that our faith and trust in God carries us though the problems and difficulties of our lives into the peace of being a part of God's Kingdom. We have that assurance and belief to offer our world. We dare to venture into hostile territories of the inner cities, into lands of scorpions and poisonous snakes, into places of homelessness, hunger, and spiritual thirst prevail, because God calls us to do so. We trust God.
One of the more difficult issues for the church today, and its missionary endeavors is its ability to be and work in community. That is so hard for individualistic Americans. We like to do our own thing in our own time. In our denominational divisions we are in competitions with one another, as opposed to co-operation. In congregations people will volunteer to do things, but in thier own way on their own terms. It's hard to get people to work in groups. We make fun of committees: "A camel is and ugly animal because it was created by a committee," some people jest.
Let me share with you that some years ago, Bishop Eastman encouraged all of the clergy of the Diocese to meet together in groups as support for their respective ministries, as clergy work alone in their parishes. I can only tell you that being in a regularly meeting (weekly) group has made a significant difference in my ministry in terms of support, energy and vitality of ministry, in preaching. To be in community takes away the loneliness and the uncertainties, and strengthens people for trying and difficult situations. Jesus sent his disciples out two by two, not to mention that his own ministry was surrounded by a community of disciples. Even The Son of God worked within a fellowship.
The issue for us as the missionaries, disciples, people of God, the church, is not that we put together some wonderful mission that is bent on success. What is important is that we are faithful to God's call to us to be always mindful of our being his own, that he claims us and writes our names in his book as people of trust and faithfulness. Remember the Parable of the Sower who sowed much seed. An awful lot fell in the thorns and thistles. Some burned up or got eaten by birds. Some fell on good ground and there was inspite of all that was lost one bountiful harvest. Jesus sent seventy out, two by two, lambs in the midst of wolves, among snakes and scorpions, and they returned astonished that through faithful servanthood they saw the powers of evil crumble.